chip@ateng.ateng.com (Chip Salzenberg) (11/19/88)
According to rsalz@uunet.uu.net (Rich Salz): >The IDA Sendmail kit (Volume 16, issues 73 through 80) and deliver, the >Mail delivery program (Volume 16, issues 81 through 83) are both >"dangerous" systems. [...] >If you install deliver, you should similarly be very leery >of directly executing mail messages as scripts; suppose someone puts an >"rm -rf /" in a (forged) comp.sources.unix posting? Although I agree with Rich Salz that one must be *very* careful with security -- especially regarding setuid programs -- I must disagree with his assertion that the "deliver" program is unsafe. Deliver does execute shell scripts, called "delivery files"; but these are not files that arrive from elsewhere. They are local files edited by local users. Each system may have a system delivery file; in addition, each user may create a user delivery file to control deliver of his own mail. Deliver does not execute messages as scripts unless a user specifically requests it, such as by including the command: sh $BODY in a delivery file. (Which would be foolish.) -- Chip Salzenberg <chip@ateng.com> or <uunet!ateng!chip> A T Engineering Me? Speak for my company? Surely you jest! Beware of programmers carrying screwdrivers.